I wanted to write this post because I’ve been writing a lot more these days and I want you to get to know me as I get to know all so I figured that I would go first. These are things are that are not in my bio. It’s my way of taking you behind the certain and giving you a peak into who I am and what I’m like outside of MCW Fitness.

1 - I love playing sports of all kinds. Growing up, I played soccer, baseball, basketball, track, golf and football. Then climbing, snowboarding, powerlifting, yoga and softball took over. Is yoga a sport?! I don’t know, but I do it and I like it. These days, soccer, softball and golf take up most of my time when I am not rock climbing.

2- I love what I do. Seriously, I do. I love seeing people succeed and reach their goals. I’m like a proud parent. When my clients are kicking ass and taking names, I can’t stop telling people about it.

3 - I don’t like being cold. It’s not fun. People ask me all the time, since I am climber, do I go ice climbing? The answer is no. Way too cold. Snowboarding and snow shoeing are one thing, but ice climbing, no thank you!

4 - Climbing is my excuse to get out and travel. Climbing has taken me around the country and around the world. I don’t know where my next trip will be yet, but Europe has been calling my name, real hard.

5 - I listen to podcasts, constantly. Whether I am driving in my car, walking down the street, hanging out at home or sitting down to write a blog post, I usually I am listening to something. Sometimes they are educational like The $100MBA or sometimes they are just for fun like The Bill Simmons Podcast. Right now I am listing the The Lowe Post, Zach Lowe’s NBA podcast. My current favorite podcast that listen immediately as it appears is Keepin’ it 1600 which has been covering the 2016 Presidential Election.

6 - I went on a climbing trip to Portugal and got robbed...Twice. This is a long crazy story. I once wrote 3 blog posts about the trip. They exist on the internet somewhere, if you want to read about that trip, you can probably find them by googling Ascending Flow.

7 - I went Oregon State University to get a degree in Engineering. That didn’t work out so well. I got weeded out by the weed out classes. Then I didn’t have a major for awhile, but I stayed in school and keep taking classes until Spring quarter of my sophomore year when I found Exercise and Sport Science. I still managed to graduate in four years despite changing majors 3 times and working 4 jobs. The rest, as they say, is history.

8 - I have dyslexia. I have had it ever since I was in first grade. It makes reading and writing much more difficult. I misspell words all the time and I write very slowly, but I can do it. Thankfully, I grew up in a world with spellcheck. Also, I hate it when people who don’t have a learning disability use it as an excuse for making a mistake. I use to get really pissed off about it because I never used it an excuse. I was determined in high school to not use any of the tools available to me because I had to prove to myself that I could read and comprehend difficult things...like Shakespeare.

9 - Fight Club is my all-time favorite movie. It was my favorite movie when it came out when I was in high school and it still is. Fight Club is about letting go of who society says you are and becoming the person you want to be. It inspired me to reinvent myself when I went to college because I didn’t like who I was in high school. I think it’s important to reinvent yourself from time to time. We see artists do this all the time, how many times has Puff Daddy or P. Diddy or Sean Combs (or whatever he is calling himself these days) changed his name and who we see him as?

10 - I don’t have any tattoos and I have no desire to get one. I have nothing against tattoos, but it’s just not my thing. I have lots of friends with tattoos, some with a few and others with full selves and full bodies. I think they look good on certain people, but I am going to stick with my freckles as my body art.

11 - I don’t watch “the news” nor do I own a TV. I got rid of cable several years ago and sold my TV too. I don’t miss it. The only thing that sucks sometimes is watching live sports. However, if I do want to watch a game then I can just meet up with a friend and go to a bar. It forces me to be social which is great because I love any excuse to go out with my friends.

12 - I enjoy grabbing a drink with friends. I am real person too. I enjoy being social and having fun with my friends. Obviously, drinking in moderation is important, so that’s what I do.

13 - I love my local sports teams. I am a Seattle native and therefore the Mariners, Seahawks, Sounders and Sonics are my teams. I wear my hat backwards all the time to this day because of Ken Griffey Junior. When the Sonics left, I couldn't pick a new NBA team, it just felt wrong. Sounders and Seahawks games are amazing! So much fun. The game day atmosphere at the stadium for both teams are unparalleled in their sports and is something everyone should experience.

Whoa. That was not easy. Now you know a lot more about me and what makes me tick. My goal for this blog is to authentic with you, speak from the heart and tune you into what I think is cool about exercise, nutrition, personal growth and performance. Whether you liked it or hated it, any feedback would be great and really help me make this blog something special. Please take two minutes of your time to send an email to contact@mcwfit.com. Thanks! For real, thank you.